AOL®’s Anti-SPAM Implementation Blocks
MLS Communications
America Online (AOL®) has implemented a series of new policies that affect the acceptance, transition and/or distribution of unsolicited bulk email (a.k.a. Spam) sent from the Internet to AOL® subscribers. This has resulted in recurring problems when emails are sent from the MarketLinx TEMPO™ system to AOL® email addresses and are identified as Spam. This problem is not unique to MarketLinx. Many Internet companies have been affected by AOL®’s most recent anti-Spam campaign. One company has already been granted a restraining order that prohibits AOL® from blocking emails.
MarketLinx, on your behalf, is working to assist AOL® in resolving this REALTOR® communications challenge. So far MarketLinx has determined that AOL® does not block MarketLinx email based on the “From” address. The problem arises from the mail content when it contains an “auto-notify” address back to MarketLinx. AOL® has received some complaints from AOL® members about email from TEMPO™ agents with the “auto-notify” feature. Based on these complaints, AOL® has added, in some cases, MarketLinx to its blocked email list. MarketLinx has requested to be removed from AOL®’s blocked emails list and expects a response from AOL® in the near future.
You and your members can help by carefully checking email addresses for errors and promptly removing prospects from your “auto-notify” list when requested. The use of blanket emailing through “auto-notify” should be avoided and under no circumstances should listings from a third party be used to generate an “auto-notify” list.
A returned message with the errors listed below or similar error may indicate a blocked email address:
“There was an SMTP communication problem with the recipient's email server. Please contact your system administrator.”
“Not authorized to send email to this user” etc.
You may review the AOL® bulk email policy at the address below:
http://postmaster.info.aol.com/guidelines/bulk_email.html
Please be assured that we are working diligently to resolve this issue; however, we are dependent upon AOL® to a large extent. We appreciate your patience until we can reach a reasonable solution with AOL®. Additional communication will be forthcoming. (posted 4-8-2004)